Upload a photo of a delivery note, delivery ticket or signed delivery receipt and AI reads it as a delivery record, adding a row to the Delivery notes sheet with the date, company, delivery location, items and amount. Keep the signed paper original, and add the document number, whether it was signed and the billing month to the log, so finding the signed copy and matching it to invoices later is easy.
Who creates delivery receipts, and why keep them as data?
Delivery notes, delivery tickets and proof-of-delivery (POD) slips travel with the goods. The supplier lists the items and quantities, and the person receiving them checks the delivery and signs. Companies call them different names, but they all record when, where, what and how much was delivered, and who received it. In businesses that ship straight to a job site, such as building materials or food service supply, drivers often get the signature on site and bring the paper back to the office.
Signed delivery paperwork is what you reach for when a customer questions an invoice or a delivery. At month end, it is also what many companies check invoices against. When the signed copies sit in a driver's truck, a folder or a phone's camera roll, that check takes longer than it should.
A signed receipt is useful evidence, but it is rarely the only record you will need. Keeping orders, deliveries and payments linked so they can be found together is good practice. If a dispute arises, how it is judged depends on the case, so talk to a professional.
Which columns should a delivery receipt log have?
Keep both the values you search by and the values you check against, so you can tell where each document is without pulling out the paper.
| Column | What to record |
|---|---|
| Delivery date | The day the goods were handed over. This is the reference when checking against invoices |
| Customer and site | Customer name and where the goods were received (job site, warehouse, store) |
| Items and quantities | Main items and quantities. If there are many, summarize, e.g., "PVC pipe + 3 more" |
| Document number | The number on the delivery note or ticket. If there is none, set a rule using date and customer |
| PO number | The customer's order or PO number. This is the key that links an order to its delivery |
| Vehicle and driver | Who delivered it. This is the person to ask about where the signed copy is |
| Received by and signed | Name of the receiver and whether it was signed (Yes, No, Checking) |
| Billing month | Which month's invoice it was included in |
| Original location | Where the paper original is filed (e.g., 2026-10 delivery binder) |
In AiutoForm, the Delivery notes sheet holds the date, company, note number, delivery location, item summary, net amount, tax and total, and quantities for each item are kept in the Line items sheet. Columns that are not in the default sheet, such as received by, signed, billing month and original location, can be added yourself and filled in when you check. Columns are found by name, so rows keep coming in even after you add or reorder columns.
What happens when you upload a photo of a delivery receipt?
Photos drivers send by text message, scans customers send by email and the stack of signed paper in the office all follow the same flow.
- Upload photos or filesTake a photo of the signed document with your phone and upload it, drag and drop a saved photo onto the screen, or paste a screenshot (Ctrl+V). Delivery notes that customers send as Gmail attachments are read straight from the email. Convert iPhone HEIC photos to JPG before uploading (Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible).
- Recognized as a delivery recordDocuments that list items and quantities, such as delivery notes, delivery tickets and signed receipts, are read by AI as delivery records, classified as delivery notes, and the date, company, delivery location, items and amount are extracted.
- One row in the Delivery notes sheetEach document becomes one row, and the company on it is registered automatically in the Customers or Suppliers sheet. The same file is never registered twice.
- Check items marked Needs reviewLow-confidence items, such as handwriting or blurry photos, are marked Needs review. Compare them with the original, correct the values, and fill in whether it was signed and where the original is.
- Month-end matchingFilter by customer and month, check that month's delivery totals against your invoices, and fill in the billing month.
What to watch for when organizing delivery receipts
- Keep the originals. Photos and the log are for finding, totaling and matching. File the signed paper originals by month and note their location in the log. How long you must keep records depends on your country and tax situation, so check with your accountant.
- People check signatures. AI does not judge whether a signature is genuine. Record whether a document was signed by looking at the original, and get any missing signatures right away.
- Retake blurry photos. Handwritten quantities and faint text are marked Needs review, so compare them with the original. Photos taken without shadows, with the whole document in frame, are easier to read.
- Keep only the personal data you need. A receiver's phone number or signature image may be personal data. Record only the name in the log and share the sheet only with people who need it.
- Upload each sheet once. Photographing the same paper again creates a different file, which can produce two rows. Use the document number to check for duplicates.
- Catch missing signatures before invoicing. Filter the signed column for No to see which deliveries need a signature. Rows with an empty billing month are deliveries not yet invoiced.
In the demo you can view a Delivery notes sheet filled with fictional company data, no sign-up needed, and upload sample files to see documents turn into rows. To start a log by hand first, add the columns above to the log sheet of the delivery note Excel template. For the step before delivery, organizing incoming orders, see the fax and photo order guide.
Frequently asked questions
Are signed delivery receipts organized like delivery notes?
A receipt that lists items and quantities is recognized as a delivery record, like a delivery note or delivery ticket, and goes into the Delivery notes sheet. Documents with little content, such as a confirmation with only a signature and no items, may be classified differently, so check the results for the first few.
Does AI check whether there is a signature?
There is no feature that judges whether a signature is present or genuine. We recommend adding a Signed column to the sheet and having a person fill it in while comparing with the original.
Can I upload photos a driver sent by text or WhatsApp?
Yes. There is no direct connection to messaging apps; save the photo and drag it onto the screen, or paste a screenshot (Ctrl+V). Convert iPhone HEIC photos to JPG first.
Once it is photographed, can we throw away the paper original?
Do not assume so. Record-keeping rules differ by country and by the type of business, and some require the original or set conditions for replacing it with an image. Keep the originals, use the photos and log for finding, totaling and matching, and check retention requirements with your accountant.
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